


A living memory

by LivingMemory



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Ace is good? at feelings (for once), Angst, Au Ra Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Au Ra Xaela (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Flashbacks, Jealousy, M/M, OC Lore - Freeform, Pining, Shadowbringers Role Quests (Final Fantasy XIV), angst with a somewhat happy ending, hydaelyn is a bitch, my fun oc backstory, my warrior of light was a member of the novrandt gang basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26442673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingMemory/pseuds/LivingMemory
Summary: The story of the warrior of light's stolen soul
Relationships: Ardbert/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Kudos: 3





	A living memory

“Ace!” The hume’s cheerful voice alerted the pale skinned drahn of the party’s return. Ace himself had been tending to Seto, gently stroking over the amaro’s healing scars while the others had gone to fashion some questionable looking supplies, but nonetheless the drahn couldn’t help but mirror the radiant smile that Ardbert was exhibiting, he just had that effect on people. “What exactly is that meant to be?” Ace asked, gesturing vaguely to the contraption in Ardbert’s hands.  
“It’s what he calls a fishing rod,” Renda-Rae hummed with a teasing undertone “I told him we should’ve just gone to the shop but he never listens to anything I say,” she continued with an exaggerated sigh. Ace took a glance at the self proclaimed fishing rod  
“we’re all going to starve if that’s our method of getting food…” Nyelbert mumbled off to the side, Ace letting out a soft chuckle at the remark.

Originally the drahn had been a resident of a town long forgotten and had met the party as he wandered Novrandt. From what they could recall the man had been starving, having been without food for days and had almost been at his limit if Ardbert hadn’t have spotted the dying lad. Given that he had no where else to go Ace had decided rather quickly that he would join the travelling heroes, lending an ear, and a dagger if needed, to be able to keep spreading the good work of him and his friends.

Ace just shrugged off of the concerns of the party, gently helping Seto to get up from his cosy nook in the ground. The sun was slowly retreating across the horizon, lighting their surroundings with a soft orange glow that promised warmth and a rest from the days filled with adventure. A large hand slapped Ace on the back, snapping the drahn back to reality “time for us to hit the tavern eh Ace?” Branden chortled, the drahn’s intolerance to alcohol making up most of Branden’s nightly entertainment. He had attempted to awaken Ace to the beauty of an alcoholic beverage but after numerous occasions of putting their rogue out of commission Ardbert had complained for Branden to go easier on the boy, so once a week in Branden’s perspective. Ace rubbed the back of his head and tilted his head up ever so slightly to look at the galdjent with a soft sigh and he nodded “fine but only if you pay for it this time” he replied with what could only have been classed as a pout, the two going off to waste their loot and a whole lot of time.

The remaining companions had found themselves a small area to set up a camp as it was impossible for the lot of them to fit into an inn room and Lamitt would rather not wake the other patrons with the drunken roars that the men were prone to exhibiting late into the night. Ardbert had made a bed for Seto when he could sense Renda-Rae’s eyes glued to his back, “what is it?” He asked as he arranged the hay.  
“You’re jealous,” she said with a wide grin that matched her feline features, “if you want to spend time with him so bad then go join him and Branden” she hummed, the hume had never been good at hiding what he felt so it hadn’t taken the party long at all to realise that he was crushing on their newest scaly companion. Ardbert frowned a little,  
“Branden would never let me hear the end of it,” he said in retort, brushing down Seto’s feathers. It’s not that he denied his feelings even though the drahn remained blissfully unaware, he just felt that if he did confess then the dynamic of the party would change and that was something that he didn’t really want to happen, especially as they were doing so well in the present moment.

Lamitt looked up from where she was emptying the contents of her bag “I think he likes you too” she said, her eyes wandering between the mystel and the hume “we talk about you sometimes,” she added, causing a small pink hue to flow through Ardbert’s cheeks. Renda-Rae snapped her fingers then,  
“you’re right! There was that time you two totally followed him to the bath house” she said with a small laugh, causing Lamitt to turn the exact same shade of pink out of embarrassment. “You’ve got yourself a fine little fanclub Ardbert.” Renda-Rae grinned and sat down next to Nyelbert who was counting the money that they had left from their treasure hunt a couple of days prior.  
Ardbert shook his head and sighed “still even if I were to tell him I just don’t want things to change,” he concluded and sat down next to Seto, gently feeding the amaro. Lamitt nodded and went back to arranging their supplies, the moon starting to poke itself out from behind the trees.

Ardbert was the last one awake, his eyes resting on the small outline of the distant town, he could’ve sworn that he could hear Branden’s drunken laughter from miles away. Clouds had come by since the events of earlier that night, the moon was barely visible at that point and Ardbert would have slept if he hadn’t have been feeling restless. He knew that the envy coiling in his chest was ridiculous and that nothing was actually happening between Ace and Branden but he couldn’t help but imagine the two of them getting closer, a small frown forming on his face. He wasn’t usually one to feel like this, or selfish at all for that matter, he was inexperienced in all things love and relationships. The closest thing he had had to such a thing was his love for the animals he had taken care of back home, he had never really had a group of friends to call his own until coming across Lamitt and then his other comrades one by one, and love? Well he had never had a crush before.

He wasn't a stranger to the love between other people but he also knew how love could hurt others, especially when the feelings weren't mutual, or the betrayal of someone you thought had loved you had turned around and left without a word. Ardbert was familiar with these situations at least, he had spent a long time of his childhood isolated and alone, he barely had any family to call his own and he had found his comfort within nature compared to the company of others. But now that he was experiencing these emotions himself there was some odd sense of familiarity to it all, as if he was one of those characters in the childhood novels he remembered reading, of a young girl falling head over heels for a boy that would never recognise it, perhaps that was Ardbert's situation. He wasn't too sure. On top of it all Ardbert had been surprised about the apparent turn his sexuality had gone through, well, he reconsidered. He wasn't too sure on how it all worked and sure the drahn had his own sense of femininity but it wasn't the same as the girls Ardbert had encountered before. Maybe there was a word for liking both but he had never really thought about researching it, he knew his feelings were valid though, he cared greatly for Ace and he wanted the drahn to know that Ardbert would do anything for him but maybe that would be coming on a bit too strong for someone he had only known for a couple of months or so.

As if his bothersome thoughts had summoned them he could make out the hazy outlines of the drahn and the galdjent, both of them completely hammered by the sounds of it. Their footsteps were heavy, stirring the sleeping wildlife of Novrandt that Ardbert was surprised that his comrades were sleeping through the racket. On their arrival to the camp he could decipher their hushed conversation, mainly because they were speaking at the normal volume of a sober individual, something about forgetting to pay their tab, Ardbert shaking his head to himself with a sigh, that would be a problem for tomorrow supposedly. It didn’t take long for Branden to pass out in a small mound of moss and leaves, Ace still relatively awake as he stumbled over to the campfire that was almost devoid of light, his pale features being lit up by the dying orange glow. Ardbert made the drahn aware of his presence with a small cough then and sat down next to him “how are you holding up?” the hume asked as his eyes rested on the face that he cursed himself for being attracted to. Ace hummed a little as he poked at the flames with a stick in an effort to revive them “as good as I can be” he replied after some thought, glancing at Ardbert through his white limbal rings, a small smile creeping across his lips.

They were sitting close enough at that point, Ardbert being able to smell the distant scent of booze from Ace’s endeavors earlier that night but it was mixed together with the drahn’s natural scent of a crisp winter morning on the mountains, there was something homely about it, the hume finding himself slowly leaning in closer, his head moving to rest on Ace’s shoulder. The rogue looked a little surprised at that but didn’t object to the exchange “you should get some rest” he spoke quietly, “it’s late” he added, his eyes flitting up to the sky before retreating back to the top of Ardbert’s head, examining his messy locks that stuck up out of place, a direct contrast to Ace’s intricate braids that framed his face in a sense of majesty and dignity. The hume nodded "yeah yeah i know" he mumbled and sighed a little "i don't know i've just been feeling... what's the word... i don't know just strange recently I suppose," he considered his words and nodded "it's hard to explain" he followed up and looked to the side, clearly embarrassed. Ace nodded in an understanding sense,  
"that's fine" he replied and turned his attention back to the sky, the moon slowly coming out from behind the clouds that had restrained its light, he seemed lost in thought to the hume, as if he was contemplating something. Upon asking Ace about his thoughts the rogue could only chuckle "do you ever think about what else is out there?" Ace asked, Ardbert unsure whether Ace actually wanted an answer, he continued to speak anyway "like, there are gods of some sort right? What do you think they do with all their time?" he hummed with an amused smile. Ardbert took the motion of sitting up, relieving Ace of the weight on his shoulder.  
"I mean" Ardbert started "living forever must be pretty boring after a while, i think they're probably lonely up there doing whatever gods do,"  
Ace nodded in reply "I think I'd be lonely as well, I'd never make a choice that would leave me alone for eternity," Ardbert smiled a little at the drahn's words,  
"Aye." the two were quiet for a while, contemplating their conversation "I don't think they have a choice though" the warrior continued after a while to which Ace nodded again,  
"We have a freedom of choice," Ace hummed softly, chuckling a little at his words "it's stupid don't you think?" he asked, turning his face back to look at Ardbert's, icy white limbal rings meeting the soft sapphire of the ocean. Ardbert couldn't help but smile as he nodded "you're right" he remarked, his voice laced with the fondness he held for the drahn. 

Ace sighed softly as he stood up then and stretched, the small cracks of his joints the only noise around them, if Branden's snoring was to be excluded. Ace gave Ardbert a slight scoff as he finished "come on, we have a long day tomorrow so it's best we get whatever sleep we can." Ace said with a sense of mocking as he prepared a suitable bed for himself in the grass. Ardbert nodded and got to his feet as well, taking a drink of water, "oh and Ardbert?" Ace asked, his back facing the hume, "thank you," Ace's voice was barely more than a whisper, Ardbert unable to see what emotion was plaguing the drahn's face "for everything," he added quickly. Ardbert had given Ace a home within the party and if it wasn't for the hume then the rogue probably wouldn't have survived. Ardbert nodded, "of course. I only did what needed to be done," he said with a warm smile and even though Ace wasn't looking at him he could sense it in the way he spoke. The drahn just weakly smiled to himself “goodnight Ardbert” he whispered as he laid down in his makeshift bed, his voice lulling the hume into his own slumber but Ardbert could have sworn that he had felt cold and ever so slightly chapped lips press against his forehead before he drifted off to sleep. 

Ardbert hadn’t slept that well in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> i had an epiphany about oc lore while i was in the shower and decided just to write it for my own peace of mind
> 
> there will be multiple chapters cos i have a lot of thoughts but for now enjoy ardbert's jealous pining cos his tits aren't as big as branden's


End file.
